You’re not wrong Andreas. But we can see in other sports though where becoming more popular has had negative effects. Such as alpine skiing. A seasons pass for Whistler is less than it used to be. The negative consequence is crowded slopes and traffic. In Squamish the parking lot up past Quest is being enlarged now due to increased mountain biking activity. Weekends are pretty crowded up there now although actual trail conflicts aren’t too bad as far as I know.
From what I hear from a good friend who hikes almost daily in North and west Vancouver is that hiking trails are beat to shit from all the hiking use. If mountain biking becomes more popular we need to plan ahead now for extra parking, more trails and more maintenance. Add in e-bikes and use may grow even faster.
I dislike the statement that one often hears "if we want this activity to grow" as if it’s an inarguably good thing. Growth of an activity to reach a sustainable level is acceptable. A new small business needs to grow enough to become sustainable. But that business or activity doesn’t need to grow forever.
Becoming welcoming to all people is a good thing for sure. Part of that is understanding that not all mountain bikers desire to be rad awesome enduro bros. I witnessed that at NSMBA AGMs more than once. People would say "we need more black Diamond trails if people want to progress". Dude. Define progress. Accept that not every one wants to dorp to fault all day every day. Accept that some people prefer Lycra cycling clothes and helmets with no visor.
March 22, 2024, 2 p.m. - Andy Eunson
You’re not wrong Andreas. But we can see in other sports though where becoming more popular has had negative effects. Such as alpine skiing. A seasons pass for Whistler is less than it used to be. The negative consequence is crowded slopes and traffic. In Squamish the parking lot up past Quest is being enlarged now due to increased mountain biking activity. Weekends are pretty crowded up there now although actual trail conflicts aren’t too bad as far as I know. From what I hear from a good friend who hikes almost daily in North and west Vancouver is that hiking trails are beat to shit from all the hiking use. If mountain biking becomes more popular we need to plan ahead now for extra parking, more trails and more maintenance. Add in e-bikes and use may grow even faster. I dislike the statement that one often hears "if we want this activity to grow" as if it’s an inarguably good thing. Growth of an activity to reach a sustainable level is acceptable. A new small business needs to grow enough to become sustainable. But that business or activity doesn’t need to grow forever. Becoming welcoming to all people is a good thing for sure. Part of that is understanding that not all mountain bikers desire to be rad awesome enduro bros. I witnessed that at NSMBA AGMs more than once. People would say "we need more black Diamond trails if people want to progress". Dude. Define progress. Accept that not every one wants to dorp to fault all day every day. Accept that some people prefer Lycra cycling clothes and helmets with no visor.